Red and blue flashing lights don't make the best
night light.
Around 2am, I heard several loud crashing boom sounds. Metal on metal? Gun shots? This country girl hadn't a clue. I did look out my window to hear squealing brakes and watch a car with no lights go squealing around the corner, followed shortly by a cop car with lights in full bloom. Interestingly enough, my apartment is right across the street from the police station. I figured any action I saw would be cars rushing from here to somewhere else, not being right here. Boy was I wrong.
I was just nestling into my pile of rags I call a bed (well, sleeping bags, but they are seeming less and less adequate every night) when I notice flashing lights outside my window. Of course I had to look. Two cop cars were parked in the street. People from the houses and apartments next door and next to the police station were going out. A cop was putting orange traffic cones on either end of the street. Whatha?
I saw a girl from my building down at her car, so I decided to get a look. After searching for my keys, pulling on pants and shoes, I headed down for a look. She and I talked - I had never met this girl before, she lives on the lower floor on the opposite side of the building from me. I feel really horrible - I have already forgotten her name. Blame the excitement.
Her story of hearing banging sounds corroberated mine, and on closer look we could see a very torn up red car across the street and two cars parked on our side, at the house next to our building, with some damage. Makes me wonder - what if I had parked in the street, instead of in the parking lot? My car is maybe ten to twenty yards away from the mayhem, albeit tucked out of the way in the lot. Freaky.
While we were talking and shivering on my neighbor's doorstep, an ambulance pulled up into our parking lot - but without flashing lights or any sort of interesting action. After we went back inside to our respective homes, I saw a fire truck pull up into the street. The last peek I took showed firemen cleaning up the street.
I have never lived in town. These things have never happened around me before. Mundane as they may seem, this is all rather new and I'm not sure how I feel about it. One thing - I am glad not to be directly involved.
I just wish my adrenaline hadn't been set into action again just when I thought I might get to sleep.